Can you deal with inclusions?

[JewelFreak]

I'm still pondering this. LD, it depends very much on the individual stone. I'd buy your Paraiba in nanoseconds. My gosh, it is spectacular. With rare and/or expensive gems I'd look for the best available that I could afford & as you say, some anomalies give them life. The blue spinel in my avatar, for instance, has a horsetail, visible if you know where to look. Doesn't bother me a bit. But in less costly, maybe more commonly seen stones -- which is what I can usually cough up for -- I look for cleaner ones. Obviously not flawless, what fun is that? but I'm less tolerant of eye-visible inclusions. In the end, though, hue, saturation, & cut take precedence as long as any inclusions don't affect the stone's performance.

--- Laurie

 

[LD]

I'm still pondering this. LD, it depends very much on the individual stone. I'd buy your Paraiba in nanoseconds. My gosh, it is spectacular. With rare and/or expensive gems I'd look for the best available that I could afford & as you say, some anomalies give them life. The blue spinel in my avatar, for instance, has a horsetail, visible if you know where to look. Doesn't bother me a bit. But in less costly, maybe more commonly seen stones -- which is what I can usually cough up for -- I look for cleaner ones. Obviously not flawless, what fun is that? but I'm less tolerant of eye-visible inclusions. In the end, though, hue, saturation, & cut take precedence as long as any inclusions don't affect the stone's performance.

--- Laurie

Laurie, I agree! If a gemstone is relatively easy to source and less costly then clarity will become more important. Absolutely.

I think what we see on this forum however is new people (to collecting) sometimes want THE BEST and then want eye clean a well! The people who have been around the block for longer (generally speaking) will understand that this isn't always available and where to compromise. I guess that people will often fall into coloured gems where their knowledge may previously have been about diamonds, so it's easy to understand how clarity can be top of somebody's list of importance.

I was looking through a few photos of my gems and actually should have shown a few more examples of less "rare/sought after" gems which may have been more realistic to illustrate my point. For example, I have a purple sapphire (not really rare or very very difficult to find) but I compromised on the cut because the colour is phenomenal and the same for a blue sapphire where I sacrificed size AND clarity because the colour called my name!!!

 

[OTL]

Laurie, I agree! If a gemstone is relatively easy to source and less costly then clarity will become more important. Absolutely.

I think what we see on this forum however is new people (to collecting) sometimes want THE BEST and then want eye clean a well! The people who have been around the block for longer (generally speaking) will understand that this isn't always available and where to compromise. I guess that people will often fall into coloured gems where their knowledge may previously have been about diamonds, so it's easy to understand how clarity can be top of somebody's list of importance.

I was looking through a few photos of my gems and actually should have shown a few more examples of less "rare/sought after" gems which may have been more realistic to illustrate my point. For example, I have a purple sapphire (not really rare or very very difficult to find) but I compromised on the cut because the colour is phenomenal and the same for a blue sapphire where I sacrificed size AND clarity because the colour called my name!!!

Wow, I certainly would love to see that. Please please upload sapphire's photo!
I have some stones with inclusions too, can't see them at arm distance. I will also try to upload them if it is still sunny for me to take pictures in the weekends.

 

[OTL]

Darn it, do I have to stand at the back of the mile long line for LD's paraiba which we all know she'll never sell?

OTL,
I apologize for being a very poor photographer, hence the blurry picture but if you stare long and hard at it, you will see the line. In person, it is only seen at certain angles as well because of the brilliance and amazing saturation of the stone. This is why it makes an excellent pendant stone.

Ha! I tried really really hard and does find the brown line! But you have to know what you are looking for to be able to see it. Nice find! Do you feel comfortable sharing where you got it from?

 

[ChrisA222]

I should be clear, OTL, when I was talking about only wanting eye-clean stones...

For one...I don't mean with ultra-expensive Paraiba Tournalines..LOL. I'd be lucky to be able to afford a cabachon that was too included to facet, if it had that Paraiba color/glow. I guess I just wasn't being specific enough. Also, I don't wear pendants so I wouldn't want a pendant-stone, where clarity doesn't have to be as important as a ring stone (which I do wear). Hope this clarifies!

 

[minousbijoux]

Just so that we're clear here - if LD's Paraiba is a true Brazilian Paraiba (and knowing LD, it is), then LD could probably fund one year if not several years of university for her daughter (don't know European costs, not disparaging your stone in any way, LD). And you know, LD, its never too early to start thinking about university...

 

[JewelFreak]

I have a purple sapphire (not really rare or very very difficult to find) but I compromised on the cut because the colour is phenomenal and the same for a blue sapphire where I sacrificed size AND clarity because the colour called my name!!!

That's the thing everybody who loves colored stones learns -- it's the one that grabs you in the gut. I have a green tourmaline that's really too small to do much with, but the color is so beautiful, I can stare at it forever. Every time I decide to sell him & put the money toward something I could use easier, he whimpers, "But you LOVE me!" I have to admit he's right; I forgive him once more for being so little, and let him stay. We've gone on like this for years.

That's the answer to the original question. Unlike diamonds, where traits are more cut & dried, buying colored stones is at base an emotional decision. Each stone is as different as each buyer -- for some I look for more clarity; for others, I'd be so happy to have it, inclusions & all.

--- Laurie

 

[LD]

I have a purple sapphire (not really rare or very very difficult to find) but I compromised on the cut because the colour is phenomenal and the same for a blue sapphire where I sacrificed size AND clarity because the colour called my name!!!

That's the thing everybody who loves colored stones learns -- it's the one that grabs you in the gut. I have a green tourmaline that's really too small to do much with, but the color is so beautiful, I can stare at it forever. Every time I decide to sell him & put the money toward something I could use easier, he whimpers, "But you LOVE me!" I have to admit he's right; I forgive him once more for being so little, and let him stay. We've gone on like this for years.

That's the answer to the original question. Unlike diamonds, where traits are more cut & dried, buying colored stones is at base an emotional decision. Each stone is as different as each buyer -- for some I look for more clarity; for others, I'd be so happy to have it, inclusions & all.

--- Laurie

And that is EXACTLY it. Nothing more to say! Fantastic description (and one that I bet most of us can identify with).

 

[OTL]

I have a purple sapphire (not really rare or very very difficult to find) but I compromised on the cut because the colour is phenomenal and the same for a blue sapphire where I sacrificed size AND clarity because the colour called my name!!!

That's the thing everybody who loves colored stones learns -- it's the one that grabs you in the gut. I have a green tourmaline that's really too small to do much with, but the color is so beautiful, I can stare at it forever. Every time I decide to sell him & put the money toward something I could use easier, he whimpers, "But you LOVE me!" I have to admit he's right; I forgive him once more for being so little, and let him stay. We've gone on like this for years.

That's the answer to the original question. Unlike diamonds, where traits are more cut & dried, buying colored stones is at base an emotional decision. Each stone is as different as each buyer -- for some I look for more clarity; for others, I'd be so happy to have it, inclusions & all.

--- Laurie

What a lovely story! I have been exactly the same with some little guys of mine. So...cold color is a "he"; warm color is a "she"?

 

[chrono]

Who knows, perhaps the cold gem is a she and the hot one is a he. I have quite a few that I know I'll never set, not super pretty enough to bother with the expense, yet much too pretty to sell. I plan to gift them to immediate family members once they are grown up.

 

[beau-wy]

Something I sometimes do, which I've not seen discussed very often, is grab a copy of the picture, and then reduce it down to actual size on my monitor (I use a hand-held ruler on the monitor screen). This is not perfect, but has helped me snag some great bargains over the years where the vendor pic over-emphasized the inclusions and the gem is awesome IRL.

That said, I am a fan of inclusions that don't compromise the gem. I LIKE crystal inclusions, and 2 and 3 phase inclusions are simply cool. Fingerprints, zoning, veils, feathers - all good in my book. Fractures? No way. My personal preference, though, is in the color trumps all category

 

[JewelFreak]

So...cold color is a "he"; warm color is a "she"?

Well, this guy is a "he." Nobility even -- his name is Lord U.R. Green!

--- Laurie